Our adventure has gotten off to a rough start. We arrived in Munich about two hours ago... without all 3 of our checked bags. You guessed it... Heathrow connection. I didn't expect it since the layover was over 2 hours, and it was a BA to BA transfer all within T5. I am told the bags will be on the next BA flight, 3 hours later and will be delivered to the hotel tonight. I hope to at least get my wife's bag tonight...

Peter (Rolf's associate) was luckily still waiting for us outside despite us being the last people left to exit the terminal. We hopped in his grey 3-series wagon and headed towards the hotel. Peter is very friendly and described lots of sights on the way.

During the ride he asked if I was a AAA member, which I am. He suggested we stop by ADAC and pickup the toll stickers, vest, and some maps. 15 minutes later I walked out with all the items needed (37 euro) and an envelope full of maps (free). Now there will be no need to stop near the border for those items. Excellent idea.

Peter dropped us at the hotel and spent a few minutes making suggestions for our stay in Munich. We'll see him tomorrow morning at 7:15 for a ride over to the Welt!

I hope for good news tonight so that we can fully enjoy the car presentation tomorrow! Stay tuned...

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I am told the two most important bags are en-route to the hotel...

Here is a photo of the purchase at ADAC:

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1. Austria Toll Sticker
2. Switzerland Toll Sticker
3. Receipt (I was told you need to have the receipt available with the stickers if stopped)
4. Vest
5. Folio of maps

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Photos for now..

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We arrived at 7:30 am (via Peter) and were the first people in the building. At check-in I was informed our appointment time was 9 am, but our delivery was scheduled for 10:30. She asked if I would like to move it up, and I said that would be great.

Sure enough, they scheduled the simulation for 8:20, and the delivery for 9:00. It was scheduled to end at 9:30, but we didn't finish with Tom and take our victory lap until 10:40! (Lots of features to go over...)

We then grabbed some snacks at the lounge before joining the plant tour at 11:30. The tour was great, but a lot of walking for my pregnant wife - who had to use one of the men's bathrooms in the plant at one point.

After that we headed back to the hotel to refresh and have lunch. At about 3 we hit the road to Berchtesgaden.

With literally about 30 miles on the car I was stopped by the police! I was cruising in between two cars at 160/kph (during a 120/kph limit) on the A8. A unmarked 3 series wagon had a small blue light on its dash two cars behind me. I pulled over to the next lane... and it pulled in front of me and flashed a "STOP!" sign on a LED board attached to the back window. We pulled in to next rest stop and parked. The wagon parked directly behind us - essentially blocking us in.

A man and woman got out (not in uniform), presented their badges and asked for our docs. I informed him we did not have our passports, but I have my CA DL and the car registration, etc. He informed me that I needed to have my passport with me at all times, which I was not aware of and didn't plan on since we were not planning to leave Germany during the day. I asked if I had done something wrong? He stated "No, its just a control check". He took the documents, asked lots of questions (was the car mine, when did I get it, where did I order it, was it from the US (?), when did I arrive, etc)... and they returned to their car for about 10-12 minutes.

After the relatively long wait he returned and stated that they "believed my story" and would not have to acompany me back to the hotel to verify passport information as they would normally do. That was that.

From there we were back on the road. We really enjoyed the drive around Berchtesgaden... it's incredibly beautiful. We arrived at the Intercontinental Berchtesgaden for Dinner at about 6:30.

We ate at Le Ciel - fantastic service and food with an incredible view of the mountains and the towns below. (It turned into a 3 hour affair!)

Tomorrow we're off to Zurich!

First impression of the car is great. I got it up to 140 mph on the A8 (after the police stop!). iDrive and Nav is super easy and very slick. iPod controls from the steering wheel are nice and easy. The head-up display is genius... and the auto dimming headlight feature works remarkably well.

The Night Vision with pedestrian dection worked as advertised as we were coming down the small road from the InterContinental at night.

A few other notes from today:

1. I asked during the tour about the cars being picked up with 0 miles. The tour guide stated that they have the ability to reset the odometer only once in a cars life at anytime, so long as the car has under 100 km on it.

2. Our delivery specialist told me that while traffic notices don't appear on the navigation for US spec. cars while in Europe as you would normally see them displayed in the States, it will receive and pay attention to traffic issues if you enable "dynamic routing". Not sure how acurate that is.

I had asked for this option on my car but they told me that this is too dark and that they can't import that into Canada... I had asked them what the percentage on this option is but they couldn't tell me

If you get back to the welt and you find the time and remember this, could you be so kind and ask them what the percentage is that they use on the tinted individual windows???

Thanks xDrive. I would love to ask for you... but unfotunately we wont be heading back to Germany... Sorry! Maybe you can email the staff at the Welt (from their website)

We had a very nice drive to Zurich today. (or rather the hills above Zurich - as we are staying at the Dolder and have not gotten too close to the city itself) We left Munich at about 9:30 in the direction of Fussen.

We took part of the Romantic Road and a nice photo near Neuschwanstein castle:

I used the Michelin guide app on my iPhone to look for a nice sport for lunch. We ended up at the Kaufmann Hotel, about 5 miles north of Fussen, for a nice bavarian meal. As I was about to back out of our parking spot on to the small road the hotel sits on, a 3 series (marked this time) police car passed by. I backed up after he passed and he immediately pulled over, two officers got out, and waved me over as I was about to drive away.

This is the 2nd time I've been stopped in as many days. I had all the paperwork in my hand before he even arrived at my window. (Including passport this time) The officer again seemed to be puzzled about the entire concept of ED. "You're going to drive this back to California?"

They didn't even bother looking into anything once I told them we'd been "controlled" by police near Berchtesgaden yesterday. "Well - if they checked it out and let you go..." They were good sports and let me take a photo:

After that we continued on to Zurich. I got the car to 151 mph today... the limiter seemed to kick in as I just hovered at 150 - 151. I was sad to say to goodbye to Germany after that!

We arrived at the Dolder above Zurich at about 5:30. What a hotel! We are in the new Spa wing with a beautiful view of Zurich and the lake.

We started the day with a mediocre breakfast (we were spoiled by the buffet at Mark's at the MO in Munich) at the otherwise fantastic Dolder Grand. What a special hotel. Our room was heavenly. The spa had an outdoor jacuzi, and an "Aqua Zone" with several kinds of showers, an ice room with snow, and the usual sauna, steam rooms, etc. It has to be one of the best spa's we seen (and thats saying something).

We checked out at about 10 and headed through Zurich in the direction of Luzern. Our initial plan was to have lunch at the Palace Luzern, but we changed that at the last minute to the Grandhotel Giessbach. This was a location in one of the final episodes of Band of Brothers.

Filling up:

Interior:

On the drive towards Giessbach:

We reached the hotel for lunch at about 12:30. Another stunning setting. Lake Brienz infront of the hotel and a fantastic waterfall directly next to it.

After lunch, we headed in the direction of Como. The weather was chilly and foggy in Switzerland. About 60 deg F. At the peak of the pass over the mountains we reached 7280 feet and found ourselves in pretty dense fog near the top:

On our way back down:

About 30 minutes after descending the mountain the weather warmed up dramatically. As we approached Como it got up to about 85 deg F.

I hadn't realized how close the Italian border is to Como... literally about 5 minutes. Sorry to note that we did not get stopped by the Police today. Although I gave them plenty of opportunity at the border crossing by waving my wife's non-US passport that required a Schengen visa - but the officer couldn't be bothered.

We arrived at the Villa D'Este and were given an upgrade to a suite!

We then took a private one hour boat ride around part of the lake. What must be the #1 tourist question... George Clooney's villa:

We went out for dinner at Navedano - which was great. Tomorrow we are off to Bellagio and then Milan.

A few notes on the car. I cannot say enough good things about the heads up display. It is so good that I rarely have to look anyplace else. The main display is only good for the fuel gauge every few hours or so. Here it is in action:

The navigation map had been very reliable. I've been able to find every hotel and restaurant easily - and have only been on two small roads that it did not recognize. I cannot imagine driving without it - it simplifies things here dramatically.

Regarding the interior - the massage function on the drivers seat is very nice. It only works on the lower seat (not your back) and changes in severity and location to really relax the muscles. It works well at preventing fatigue on long drives. I don't understand why the pass. seat doesn't have it.

I think the vanity mirror covers for the front seats are cheap looking with the sliding mirror cover (rather than a flip up).

We are already talking about our next ED in 3 years when this lease is up!

Can't complain about the weather at all. Sunny in Germany, overcast in Switzerland, and sunny again in Italy. It was 86 deg today in Como! The forecast for the next few days looks good as well.

We spent the morning around Bellagio. The concierge recommended we drive up and back to Cadenabbia and take the ferry across which runs every 30 minutes.

Nothing interesting to note besides thinking that the car was trapped in its parking spot upon our return on the ferry. I parked the car in a standard space near the ferry. I purposely chose a spot that would prevent someone from parking behind me and blocking me in... but sure enough, on our return we found a small silver car parked directly behind us! I was upset - since we needed to be back at the hotel to check out by 4PM. (I did not want to check out early and keep the luggage in our trunk)

I walked across the street and walked into the closest building... which happened to be a hotel. I asked the gentleman at the front desk what the procedure is for dealing with a car blocking you in? He got up and asked which car? I showed him... he walked over to the cafe next door and found a woman. "Seniora... (something in italian)". She smiled and walked right outside and moved the car. I thanked the gentleman for his help and we were off... Too bad I didn't get a picture.

As far as the roads... some are tight! Its not a problem in the cities, etc... but it can be an issue on the small roads (like those around Como). On several occasions I had to pull over and wait for a larger car (camper, etc) to pass since we both wouldn't fit.

I haven't had to pull in the mirrors yet!

In the afternoon we left for Milan. It was a short drive... 50 minutes or so. Two paid tolls on the route - first time we've had to stop and pay tolls on the trip thus far. (1.80 euro and 1.30 euro)

I don't think the car will leave the garage at all tomorrow as we explore Milan. The day after we will have a nice long drive to Monte Carlo.

I'm loving the matte trim more and more - it adds a nice touch of understated taste, elegance and distinctiveness to an all-black interior.

Continue to have a very enjoyable (and eventful) European vacation!

Thanks Spiroman!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jopa489

Absolutely stunning car and photos!

Thanks sopa489!

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We spent the day around town in Milan. A note to anyone planning a visit... avoid Mondays! Every museum in town is closed on Mondays, and many restaurants are as well. The good shops don't even open until 3PM. We did ok since we slept in, had a late breakfast at 10:30, and then spent the morning in the touresty areas (Duomo, etc):

Inside the Duomo:

We had a fantastic lunch at the Park Hyatt cafe with a view of the Galleria. It was exactly 3PM by the time we were ready to head down the main shopping streets (Monte Napoleone, etc).

My wife found some shoes (Dior) and blouses (Massimo Dutti) - but I abstained. Massimo Dutti is one of our favorite stores (classic and casual italian - not high-end like Armani, etc)... but it can't be found in the US. Can't imagine why they haven't opened one.

In the evening we used the pool here at the hotel and took it easy the rest of the night.

On the issue of hotels - had I the ability of a mulligan - I would probably book someplace else. The Hotel Principe di Savoia is very elegant and classy. It has the Grand Dame look and feel. The other hotels I would consider would be the Four Seasons or Park Hyatt (both more expensive than the Savoia). Both of those are directly next to the major sites. (The Principe di Savoia, however, does provide a nice e-class limo to and from the sites every 15 minutes which is nice).

We are in a "Elegant Suite" here which is a nice size with intricate wood panelling and fabric wall coverings. The bathroom has a seperate shower and tub:

The room is elegant, but a bit tired. Perhaps its the fact we just came from another old hotel (Villa D'Este) - where the bathroom was also old with a shared tub/shower - but there we didn't care with that view!

Lobby lounge downstairs:

Anxious for our drive tomorrow to Monte-Carlo. Can't wait to get behind the wheel again. We will be staying at the Metropole (we changed from the Hotel de Paris). Good thing as I probably couldn't take 3 of these style hotels in a row!

Wow fantastic trip and AWESOME car dude!
I visited BMW welt this summer too and I loved it there, so freakin' hi-tech!
The hotels you guys stayed at... Madonn'! That's the stuff of 7-series owners alright! Good luck with the car!